Republicans should reject RFK Jr.'s nomination. He's not conservative. | Opinion
Kennedy's endorsement of Trump was not rooted in any principle or political alignment; it was simply an exchange of support for power. Republicans should be above this.
The Senate Finance Committee is expected to vote Tuesday on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination for secretary of Health and Human Services.
Republicans hold just a one-vote majority on the panel, and the committee’s recommendation being unfavorable could determine whether or not RFK Jr. is confirmed by the Senate as a whole. At least one GOP senator is struggling with voting in favor of Kennedy.
Republicans should reject Kennedy. His lack of principles, troubling history on vaccines and left-wing views should disqualify him from holding a position in a Republican administration.
RFK Jr.'s positions don't belong in a conservative administration, let alone HHS
So long as the GOP wants to pretend to be a conservative party, people like Kennedy do not belong in it. Weaving people like him and Tulsi Gabbard, two former Democrats now up for Trump Cabinet positions, into the fold is a brazen admission that the Republican Party is no longer conservative.
While many of Kennedy's positions are not relevant to him leading the Department of Health and Human Services, his problematic stances on abortion should worry conservatives. His position has changed several times, having supported a 15-week ban when running for president before backtracking to say he opposed restrictions prior to fetal viability.
Now, RFK Jr. vows to back whatever President Donald Trump wants to regulate abortion.
For Trump, this issue is a nonfactor, given that he and the GOP have already cast aside the pro-life movement heading into his second term. However, for conservative senators who still support unborn life, an HHS secretary who supports abortion throughout all terms of pregnancy ought to be disqualifying. The fact that we cannot pin Kennedy's position down on something as fundamental as the right to life should preclude him from serving in a “conservative” administration.
Similarly concerning is his vaccine skepticism, something that also ought to be disqualifying for the position of Health and Human Services secretary. Kennedy founded an anti-vaccine organization and has a troubling history on vaccinations.
As recently as his confirmation hearing last week, Kennedy refused to disavow the widely debunked claim that vaccines cause autism, even when presented with evidence to the contrary by Louisiana GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy.
As head of HHS, Kennedy would oversee billions in funding related to vaccines, and he clearly lacked the understanding to properly serve in this role.
Vaccines are estimated to have saved more than 150 million lives since 1974, and Kennedy's history undermines the future of such advancements.
He is unqualified, and you have to wonder how someone so obviously wrong on fundamental issues could have gotten such a nomination.
Kennedy's nomination is based on politics, not principles
The president's supporters love to pretend that RFK Jr. is the new direction for health policy within the GOP when the reality is that his endorsement of Trump is the only reason he is even being considered for the role.
People forget that during the presidential campaign, RFK Jr. made the same offer of an endorsement in exchange for a Cabinet position to Democratic nominee Kamala Harris but received no such offer.
Kennedy’s endorsement of Trump was not rooted in any principle or political alignment; it was simply an exchange of support for power. How sad is it that the Kennedy name has been reduced to shilling for Trump?
Republicans should be above allowing Trump to exchange political power for support. While such agreements are common in primary cycles, rarely is such an agreement made with somebody from the opposing party. In this case, the move is pure politics rather than any common ground.
It is maddening that the bulk of GOP senators are willing to go along with this. If RFK Jr. were nominated by a Democratic president, he would not receive a single Republican vote. The only motivation is that Trump selected him. I am saddened that for the vast majority of the Senate, that appears to be enough.
I understand that the default for conservatives is deference to the president’s Cabinet, and I generally agree. However, this is an extraordinary case, and it is the responsibility of the Senate GOP to give proper advice and consent on this ridiculous nomination.
Republican senators are obligated to make not only the right decision for their president but also for their country and vote no on RFK Jr. He is unqualified, not conservative and simply a horrible choice that will actively harm the Department of Health and Human Services.
Dace Potas is an opinion columnist for Paste BN and a graduate of DePaul University with a degree in political science.